Option to tune stereoscopic vision figure properties​

You can use the vr.utils.stereo3d class
properties to tune stereoscopic vision. For example, you can specify
yellow and blue as the colors to use for the anaglyph stereoscopic
effect, instead of the default red and cyan combination. You can also
specify camera settings such as camera angle and camera offset.

Definition of scripts in virtual worlds in separate files

For the url (MFString) field in a Script node,
you can now specify a path to a JavaScript® file, or you can continue
to specify the script code in the url field, which
was the only option in previous releases. For details, see Edit VRML Scripts.

Browsing to specify file URLs in 3D World Editor

In the 3D World Editor, you can now use a browse dialog box
to specify URLs for nodes such as ImageTexture and Inline.
You can continue to specify URLs by typing the path. For details,
see Specify a URL.

Option to save virtual worlds to use in VRML viewers

The vrworld/save method
now includes an optional third argument for exporting to a VRML file
copies of all relatively specified resources (such as textures) for
a virtual world, as well as resources from the Simulink 3D Editor
library. This feature supports the use of a Simulink® 3D Animation™ virtual
world outside of Simulink 3D Animation.

Display of event fields in 3D World Editor tree pane

You can display eventIn and eventOut nodes
in the 3D World Editor tree pane. You can either click the Show
Events button or select Tree > Show Events.

You can perform an IS mapping for events
in a PROTO declaration.

More responsive navigation for large virtual worlds

In the 3D World Editor and Simulink 3D Animation Viewer,
navigation of large virtual works is more responsive than in previous
releases.

Internal viewer stereoscopic vision support

Stereoscopic vision support allows you to view a virtual world
using 3D effects, so that elements in the virtual world appear to
come forward or back from the plane of the monitor. You can use either
of these stereoscopic vision approaches:

Anagylph — Use red/cyan 3D glasses. Viewing
a virtual world in this mode causes the colors to appear as almost
grayscale. This approach does not require any special computer hardware
or software.

Improved Orbisnap standalone viewer interface

Inclusion of vr.canvas objects in uipanels

You can now include a vr.canvas object
as a child object in a MATLAB uipanel object.

Panels arrange graphical user interface components into groups.
By visually grouping related controls, panels can make the user interface
easier to understand. A panel can have a title and various borders.

Parameterized vrfigure constructor

You can now use the vrfigure constructor
with name-value pairs to set property values. For example:

fig = vrfigure(vrlights,'Antialiasing','on')

For a list of properties that you can set, see the documentation
for vrfigure.get.

Navigation panel not shown in screen captures

Screen captures of a virtual world in the Simulink 3D Animation Viewer
omit the navigation panel, resulting in a cleaner image.

R2014a

You can use the 3D World Editor to import STL and Physical Modeling
XML files directly into a VRML scene. STL and Physical Modeling XML
files usually originate from CAD models. You can integrate content
from those files into a virtual world, converting the structure into
VRML.

For a node that is, or includes, an IndexedFaceSet node,
you can improve rendering speed by reducing the number of polygons
in the IndexedFaceSet. Choose the polygon reduction
factor that produces your desired balance of rendering performance
and quality.

R2013b

Use the Simulink 3D Animation Web Viewer to access virtual
worlds with an HTML5-enabled Web browser. You can open a virtual world
in Simulink 3D Animation on a host computer and then view it remotely
in a Web browser on another computer. You do not need to install Simulink 3D Animation on
the remote computer.

The Web Viewer supplements the Simulink 3D Animation Viewer.
It also supplements the VRML plug-in Blaxxun Contact viewer and
the Orbisnap viewer, which come with Simulink 3D Animation. Some
benefits of the Web Viewer include:

Multiplatform remote viewing of Simulink 3D Animation virtual
worlds

Support for HTML5-enabled browsers on Microsoft® Windows, Macintosh,
and Linux® platforms

No additional software installation required on client
computers

Access to HTML5 browser features for creating customized
pages with virtual reality visualization

Interactive setting of pivot points for examining scenes

You can set a pivot point interactively when you are in Examine
mode in the 3D World Editor, Simulink 3D Animation Viewer, and
the Simulink 3D Animation Web Viewer. You can use a pivot point
for rotating a virtual world around, using a mouse.

R2013a

Multiple-pane grid view in 3D World Editor for enhanced scene
viewing and modeling

You can view the virtual world in one pane, two horizontal panes,
two vertical panes, or four panes. You can control the navigation
of each pane independently. For example, you can set viewpoints, manipulate
the triad, and specify some rendering techniques differently for each
pane.

For example, you can select View Pane > Grid View and set viewing
options independently:

The navigation panel is blue in the active 3D World Editor view
pane, Simulink 3D Animation viewer, and vrplay animation
viewer and is gray in the inactive view panes or viewers.

You can minimize the navigation panel. Select View > Navigation Panel > Minimized. The minimized navigation
panel appears as an icon in the lower right corner of the viewer.
For more information, see Minimize
the Navigation Panel.

Compatibility Considerations

Before R2013a, the red X control on the left side of the navigation
panel was a toggle button to hide or display the navigation panel.
Starting in R2013a, the red X control minimizes the navigation panel.

To hide the navigation panel, select View > Navigation Panel > None.

MATLAB Current Folder panel for opening VRML file in 3D
World Editor

You can open VRML file (.wrl) in the 3D World
Editor from the MATLAB Current Folder panel using the context
menu.

Option to start 3D World Editor with previous session's
layout

You can specify whether the 3D World Editor starts up with the
default layout of a virtual world or opens with the layout as it appeared
when you exited the virtual world previously. The layout includes
settings for the view, viewpoints, navigation, and rendering.

By default, virtual worlds open with the layout that was saved
at exit. To have virtual worlds open using the default layout, clear
the Preferences > Simulink
3D Animation > Editor > Preserve
Layout per VRML File preference.

Expansion of subtree in the tree structure pane of 3D World
Editor

You can expand subtrees for a 3D World Editor VRML node by using
the Expand Subtree context menu item.

Multiple 3D World Editor instances

When you open the 3D World Editor using a File menu
item, if the existing editor window has a file open, then a separate
instance of the editor opens. Having multiple instances of the 3D
World Editor enables you to work on multiple virtual worlds at the
same time and to copy and paste from one virtual world to another.

Before R2013a, if you already had the 3D World Editor open,
then when you opened another virtual world, it replaced the initial
virtual world.

Blaxxun Contact viewer

Support for the Blaxxun Contact viewer will be removed in
a future release. Consider using one of the other VRML viewers described
in VRML Viewers.

In the 3D World Editor, on the tree structure pane,
you can select multiple nodes to:

Delete the nodes.

Wrap the nodes as children of another node.

Interactive color selection for SFColor and MFColor fields
using color palette in 3D World Editor

In the edit panel for SFColor and MFColor nodes,
you can interactively select the color using the palette of colors,
as an alternative to specifying the RGB values explicitly.

Use of MATLAB expressions to enter 3D World Editor's
numeric field values

When you enter a numeric field value in the 3D World Editor,
you can use MATLAB expressions and MATLAB variables. For
example, to convert an angle from degrees to radians, enter a MATLAB expression
such as 25*pi/180.

Additional grids for Components library

The Components library includes some additional grids for more
control of granularity.

vredit function for opening 3D World Editor

You can use the new vredit function
to open a virtual world in the 3D World Editor.

MATLAB buttons for editor and animation player

You can open the 3D World Editor or the Simulink 3D Animation animation
player by using MATLAB Toolstrip buttons.

From the MATLAB Toolstrip, in the Apps tab,
click the down arrow on the right side of the tab. Scroll down to
the Simulation Graphics and Reporting area and
click either the 3D World Editor or the 3D
Animation Player button.

Simulation Stepper support

You can use the Simulink Simulation Stepper with the VR
Sink and VR Source blocks.

Note:
You cannot use the Simulink Simulation Stepper with the
VR Tracer block.

R2012a

VR Tracer Block Enhancements

The VR
Tracer block supports specification of a projection
plane and projection point for better visualization of an object's
trajectory. In the VR Tracer block parameters dialog box, you can
access these enhancements with the new Marker Projections tab.

3D World Editor Enhancements

R2012a includes the following 3D World Editor enhancements:

Full editing of VRML PROTO and EXTERNPROTO definitions.

Faster refreshes.

You can specify coordinate plane grid templates, which
provide orientation information to improve navigation of a virtual
world. To specify a grid template, select File > New From Template > Grid.

stl2vrml Function Accepts Additional Units

In previous releases, the stl2vrml function
accepted only meters as the unit for the SimMechanics™ model
to be converted to VRML. In R2012a, the SimMechanics model
can include additional units, including a mixture of units.

New Example For Global Coordinates

The new "Manipulator Moving a Load with Use of Global
Coordinates" example (vrmanipul_globalvrmanipul_global)
illustrates the use of global coordinates in Simulink 3D Animation models.
You can use global coordinates in a model in many ways, including:

Object tracking and manipulation

Simple collision detection

Simulation of haptic effects

R2011b

VR Source Block

The VR
Source block provides access to values from virtual
world fields that you specify in the Block Parameters dialog box as
inputs during simulation. This functionality supports activities such
as using the VR Source block to register user interactions with the
virtual world. You can pass to the model those values that can affect
the simulation of a model.

Triad of Coordinate Axes

To help you visualize changes in the orientation (coordinate
axes) of nodes in a virtual world, the 3D World Editor virtual
world display pane includes a triad of red, green, and
blue arrows. These arrows are always parallel with global x, y,
and z coordinate axes. The triad displays changes
in orientation as you navigate in a virtual world.

Controlling Full-Screen Mode

The Simulink 3D Animation viewer navigation panel now includes
a full-screen mode toggle button () to facilitate moving in and out
of full-screen display mode.

You can also enable full-screen mode using the new View > Fullscreen Mode menu option.

Global Coordinates for vrnode Objects

When you read the positions and rotations of vrnode types
such as Transform and Viewpoint,
you can now use global coordinates. Global coordinates are very useful,
for example, when you are tracking a robot end-effector using tracers
that you create independently from the VRML hierarchy of the robot.
For details, see the documentation for the vrnode function.

3D World Editor Enhancements

Template Files

The 3D World Editor includes template VRML files that you can
use as a starting point for creating virtual reality worlds. Some
examples of templates are the Earth, roads, sea, and terrains virtual
world templates. For details, see Template VRML
Files.

Add and Paste Nodes Throughout the Hierarchy

In the Tree structure pane, you can add
or paste nodes at the beginning or end of the node list, as well as
at the end of a node. See Adding Objects and Copying and
Pasting a Node for more information.

Improved VRML Tree Structure Pane

Specify a Default Viewpoint From the Command Line

You can now specify a default viewpoint at the command line,
using the vrview function
with a pound sign (#), followed by the name of
a viewpoint. For example:

vrview('vrlights.wrl#Ocean')

New or Enhanced Examples

The new vrcrane_panel example uses an operator
control panel to set the setpoint. The setpoint is the desired position
of the load. The example uses the VR Source block.

The example previously named vrbuttons is
now vrdemo_panel. The vrdemo_panel example
uses sensing objects that are now available in the 3D World Editor Components library.
You can place the example control panel in your virtual worlds. You
can control a simulation or visualize certain virtual world properties
by using signals from virtual world sensors in a simulation model.

Legacy Viewer

R2011a

Geometric and Background Objects Added to 3D World Editor Library

The 3D World Editor library includes geometric objects, such
as a Sphere object. Access the geometric objects from the Nodes > Insert From > Components Library > Shapes menu.

The 3D World Editor library also includes background objects,
such as a two-tone blue background object. Access the background objects
from the Nodes > Insert
From > Components Library > Backgrounds menu.

Switching Between Bindable Nodes

You can switch between multiple Bindable nodes
of the same type (Background, Fog, NavigationInfo or Viewpoint nodes)
in the 3D Work Editor. By default, the first node of multiple instances
of a Bindable node is active.

For Background, Fog, and NavigationInfo nodes,
right-click the node that you want to make active and select the Bind menu
item.

As you could in releases prior to R2011a, to make an instance
of a Viewpoint node active, right-click the node
that you want to be active and select the Go to viewpoint menu
item.

3D World Editor Accessible from the Start Menu

You can open the 3D World Editor using the MATLAB Start button.
Select Simulink > Simulink
3D Animation > 3D World Editor.

Preference Options for 3D World Editor Startup Position

The Simulink 3D Animation Preferences pane includes the following
two options for specifying the startup position of the 3D World Editor:

To specify the default location for the 3D World Editor,
select 3D World Editor > Position, and specify the
pixel location for the upper-left and the lower-right corners (for
example, [96 120 862 960]).

To have the 3D World Editor open in the same location
where the editor was last exited, select 3D
World Editor > Save position on exit.

Node Fields Are Listed Before Node Children Fields in 3D World
Editor

Node fields appear at the top of the list of nodes in the tree
structure pane of the 3D World Editor.

In the R2010b version of the 3D World Editor, node children
appeared before the node's own fields. However, virtual worlds created
in R2010b do not require any changes to work in R2011a.

Setting Viewpoint Values in the 3D World Editor Based on Camera
Position

You can use the current camera position to interactively specify
a viewpoint in the 3D World Editor. Right-click a Viewpoint node in
the tree structure pane and select the Copy values from
current camera option.

Compatibility Considerations

When you install R2010b in a different location from where any
previous MATLAB releases are installed, the 3D World Editor is
the default editor. If you are upgrading from a previous release,
then you need to change your preferences, please read this section.

The VRML Editor command line preference
in R2010b is now *BUILTIN.

Also, in R2010b the Antialiasing preference
check box is enabled. To access the Antialiasing preference,

If you are upgrading from a previous release to R2010b, we recommend
that you reset your preferences. You can use one of these approaches:

Reset all your preferences to match the default preference
settings for R2010b.

Explicitly reset the VRML Editor command
line and Antialiasing preferences.

To reset your preferences to the R2010b default settings, at
the MATLAB command line, enter:

vrsetpref factory;

To set the individual preferences explicitly:

In MATLAB, select File > Preferences > Simulink 3D Animation

In the Simulink 3D Animation Preferences dialog box,
set the VRML Editor command line preference to *BUILTIN.

In the Simulink 3D Animation preferences tree view,
select the Figure node and then open the Rendering tab.

Clear the Antialiasing check
box.

stl2vrml Function

You can use the new stl2vrml function
to convert STL files to VRML format.

Simulink 3D Animation Viewer Supported on Linux

You can now use the Simulink 3D Animation viewer on Linux
platforms. You can use MATLAB Handle Graphics features with this
viewer.

R2010a

vrnode/getfield Now Returns Field values of SFNode and MFNode
Types

The vrnode/getfield function now provides
access to the SFNode and MFNode field
values. This access improves virtual scene node management. It enables
you to access the entire virtual world structure and get the properties
of all nodes present in the scene, including unnamed nodes. This capability
is most useful for advanced scene manipulations. For example, adding
nodes to unnamed nodes or setting properties for these nodes. See VRML Field
Data Types in the Simulink 3D Animation
User's Guide.

In previous releases, this capability was available only for
nodes named using the DEF keyword.

Camera Bound to Viewpoint Shortcut Change

The Camera Bound to Viewpoint shortcut is now Ctrl+F10.
In previous releases, this shortcut was F10.

Navigation Method Changes

You can now select None for the Navigation > Method context menu. This option disables mouse navigation
in the virtual scene viewer. The Shift+N keyboard
command provides this option.

Updated vrphysmod

The vrphysmod function
has been enhanced to automatically link multiple SimMechanics models
imported through SimMechanics Link to a single virtual scene that
contains these components. This means that if your model contains
several VR
Sink blocks that refer to the same VRML file, this
function attempts to consolidate the animation signals of that virtual
scene into one VR Sink block.

VR Sink Block Now Supports Setting Node eventIn Events

The VR
Sink block now supports setting node eventIn events
that do not have any field or exposeField associated
with them. This improves the ability to control virtual scene, in
particular using scripts and interpolators. For example, you can
now define an object trajectory using a VRML PositionInterpolator.
During simulation, you can define the current position of the object
on the trajectory by setting the set_fractioneventIn event
of that interpolator.

vrmorph Example

The vrmorph example has been updated to reflect
support for Simulink variable-size signals.

Some Dialog Boxes Are No Longer Modal

The Capturing and Recording Parameters and Create new viewpoint
dialog boxes are no longer modal dialog boxes. This means that you
can access other windows while these dialog boxes are active. For
example, you can now change recording parameters or create viewpoints
while a simulation is running.

R2009b

Alternate Mode of Virtual Scene Viewer Now Default

The alternate mode of virtual scene viewer introduced in Version
5.0 (R2009a) is now the default viewer for all supported platforms
(except for Linux platforms). Using vrsetpref to
set the DefaultViewer property to 'internal' enables
this version of the virtual scene viewer.

To reactivate the legacy (former) viewer, use vrsetpref to
set the DefaultViewer property to 'internalv4'.

Note:
If you are running the Simulink 3D Animation software on
a Linux platform, the default viewer continues to be the legacy
viewer. The legacy viewer does not support MATLAB figures. If
you have a Linux platform and want to access the MATLAB figure
capability for the viewer, install the hardware-accelerated OpenGL® rendering
engine first. Otherwise, the Simulink 3D Animation software cannot
properly display the viewer window. You can then activate the new
viewer by typing vrsetpref('DefaultViewer','internalv5') in
the MATLAB Command Window.

Compatibility Considerations

The alternate mode of virtual scene viewer introduced in Version
5.0 (R2009a) is now the default viewer for all supported platforms
(except for Linux platforms). At a minimum, this viewer provides
the same functionality as the legacy viewer.

Support on the 64-Bit Intel Macintosh Platform

VRML Files Recognized in MATLAB Current Folder Browser

The MATLAB Current Folder browser now supports .wrl files.
This support enables you to perform standard MATLAB file operations
on the .wrl file in the Current Folder browser.
For example, double-clicking a .wrl file in the
Current Folder browser now starts the Simulink 3D Animation viewer
for that .wrl file. In previous releases, double-clicking
a .wrl file in the current folder browser started
the MATLAB editor for that file.

Changed vr.canvas Units Property Default

The vr.canvas method Units property
default is now 'normalized'. In the previous release,
the default was 'pixels'. The vrgetpref function DefaultCanvasUnits property
controls the default of the vr.canvasUnits property.

Improved Performance of Orbisnap in Remote Configuration

The performance speed of the Simulink 3D Animation Stand-Alone
Viewer (Orbisnap) has been improved.

vrplay Updated

New Functions

Processes VRML files created by CAD tools for use with Simulink 3D Animation environment.
In previous releases, you manually processed these files before using
them in the Simulink 3D Animation environment.

Automatically adds a Simulink 3D Animation scene to SimMechanics models
created from CAD tools. In previous releases, you manually processed
these files before using them in the Simulink 3D Animation environment.

New Object

This release provides a new object, vr.canvas.
This object allows for the placement of a virtual scene view into
a MATLAB figure, with full control of its position and ability
to be combined with other Handle Graphics objects into one GUI.

Virtual Scenes Now Open Automatically

The associated virtual scene now opens automatically when you
open the model. This behavior occurs even if the Simulink 3D Animation block
associated with the virtual scene is in a subsystem of the model.
In previous releases, the ability to automatically open virtual scenes
did not work for VR
Sink blocks in subsystems.

Product Files Moved

The Simulink 3D Animation files have moved from matlabroot\toolbox\vr to matlabroot\toolbox\sl3d.

Saving and Restoring the Complete SimState

Use the new SimState feature to save the complete simulation
state. Unlike the final states stored in earlier versions of Simulink,
the SimState contains the complete simulation state of the model (including
block states that are logged). You can then restore the state at a
later time and continue simulation from the exact instant at which
you stopped the simulation. See Saving and
Restoring the Simulation State as the SimState in the Simulink User's
Guide.

New vrworld Method

New Example

The vrtkoff_spacemousevrtkoff_spacemouse example
is new in this release. It illustrates how to use a space mouse compatible
device via the MATLAB interface. This example requires a space
mouse or compatible device.

Enhanced vrplay Shortcut Keys

The Page Up and Page
Down keys have the same functionality as the R (rewind)
and F (forward) shortcut keys, respectively.
These keys perform rewind and forward operations on the animation
file you are playing.

Joystick Input Block

Compatibility Considerations

If you have models that contain this block, and you want to
use that model in a Virtual Reality Toolbox version later than
4,3, you must reorder the axes. You can do so by placing the Simulink Selector block
after the Joystick
Input block in the model.

VR Animation Playback Controls

R14SP3

R14SP2+

Virtual Reality Toolbox Support of MATLAB Compiler Product

The Virtual Reality Toolbox product now supports the MATLAB Compiler™ product.
With this capability, you can use the MATLAB Compiler software
to take MATLAB files as input and generate redistributable, stand-alone
applications that include Virtual Reality Toolbox functionality,
including the Virtual Reality Toolbox viewer. The Virtual Reality Toolbox product
does not support the MATLAB Compiler product for the HP-UX platform.

Virtual Reality Toolbox Viewer

The following changes were made to the viewer:

The Virtual Reality Toolbox viewer Recording menu has changed to support frame
captures in addition to animation recording.

The Virtual Reality Toolbox toolbar now has a camera
icon that you can click to capture a frame of the current virtual
scene.

Virtual Reality Toolbox Preferences Dialog

The Virtual Reality Toolbox preferences dialog, available
through the MATLAB desktop File -> Preferences dialog,
has been updated as follows:

The Virtual Reality Figure pane
is now organized by tabs.

The Virtual Reality Toolbox preferences dialog
now provides frame capture preferences. These are available through
the Frame Capture tab of the Virtual Reality Figure pane.

vrsetpref and vrgetpref Changes

The vrfigureset and get functions
now include the following properties to support frame capturing:

CaptureFileFormat

CaptureFileName

Space Mouse Block Enhancement

The Magellan Space Mouse block now allows you
to specify upper and lower position coordinate limits for the mouse.
The following parameters were added:

Limit position —
Determines whether you can limit the upper and lower positions of
the mouse.

Lower position limit —
Position coordinates for the lower limit of the mouse.

Upper position limit —
Position coordinates for the upper limit of the mouse.

R14SP2

Virtual Reality Toolbox Stand-Alone Viewer

The Virtual Reality Toolbox product now includes Orbisnap.
This is a free, optional, and multiplatform stand-alone VRML viewer
that does not require you to have either MATLAB or Virtual Reality Toolbox products.
You can use Orbisnap to

View prerecorded WRL animation files

Remotely view, from a client machine, a virtual world
loaded in a current session of the Virtual Reality Toolbox software

View and navigate, but not simulate, a VRML world
or scene

Virtual Reality Toolbox Viewer

The Virtual Reality Toolbox viewer now allows you to interactively
set the vrfigure maximum texture size through the Rendering menu.